The Most Famous Jesus Painting… Plus

I had been writing a blog post, a little snip of my personal history only 4 days ago. The event I’m about to recall here was precisely what I was writing on.

Tonight I happened to go to one of our denominational websites just to check news, events and such and was floored by the article I have linked here. What timing!

As a multiple-form drug addict sometimes trying to get out of the mess, I hallucinated this very painting for some 45 minutes. Absolutely the truth and no exaggeration.

I had experienced a full-on “come to Jesus” moment all alone, in January that year. Nearly immediately I had zero issues with all the drugs I had been controlled by for several years prior… except two.

Hash and grass (which I personally put in the same category) along with alcohol (whatever I could get drunk from) were hangers-on in my first nine months of my walk with the Lord.

One (I think perhaps March) afternoon I hung out with a friend who was one of only two I ever knew in my high school senior class who referred to themselves as Christians.

But the one was a dude who had zero issues with getting high.

So I sat in a room in his house. Lotsa groovy posters, great sandalwood incense burning, Hendrix cranked top volume on the stereo and black light reflecting the Peter Max and rock band posters on the walls. And there smoking a load of potent cannabis.

After several minutes of being completely smashed something rather shocking happened… and I could not make it go away whether my eyes were open or closed tight.

I’d seen it here or there I guess, but had very, very little to do with churches throughout my life so can only guess where I saw it, and perhaps it was in my subconscious somewhere.

But in that loooonnngggg stretch of time, absolutely stoned, unable to physically move, out of nowhere that painting projected toward me. Like it was on the opposite wall -which in reality I guarantee you it was not.

I just could not get out of my mind the sense He was saying “Not good my friend. I didn’t tell you to get high and you know it’s not my plan. I’ve come to set you free!” I mean, I didn’t think He was full-on mad or anything but I got really convicted about what I was doing.

Well, the Holy Spirit does what He does and don’t ever think He can’t use art.

At the time I write this I’ve been clean and sober for 44 years -but I assure you it’s the grace and power of God because in myself I could not and generally did not want to quit.

Until this very day I had no knowledge of the backstory to this amazing work nor it’s connection to a Chicago artist nor to the Ev. Covenant Church which I am blessed to be part of!